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Seven years go, David and I lived for a couple years in the Upper Eastside. A time long before our gluten-free days, our favorite neighborhood place for Chinese food delivery was Café Evergreen (which, it seems, has now closed). One dish in particular remains in my mind, mostly because it was so simple yet surprisingly satisfying: sauteed enoki mushrooms with spinach. I recently had 2 bunches of enoki mushrooms and spinach sitting in my fridge that I needed to use, so I decided to make my own interpretation of the Café Evergreen dish. This veggie dish is very simple, quick, and delicious. The enoki mushrooms almost feel like “noodles.” I didn’t have any fresh ginger on hand, so I used ground ginger, which worked fine — but next time, I’ll probably use fresh grated ginger instead.

SAUTEED ENOKI MUSHROOMS + SPINACH

2 bunches of enoki mushrooms, ends cut and cleaned

1/2 bunch of spinach, washed and chopped into about 1 in. pieces

2 stalks of scallions, washed and chopped into about 1 in. pieces (I like to cut them at an angle)

1/2 tbsp ground ginger (or fresh grated ginger)

1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce

Prep the vegetables as above:

Cleaned enoki mushrooms, ends cut.

Cleaned spinach, chopped.

Scallions, washed and chopped.

In a non-stick pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium high heat. Cook the enoki mushrooms first — salt to sweat, and then add the ground ginger (if using fresh ginger, heat the ginger in the oil before adding the mushrooms to release flavor).

When the mushrooms soften, add the spinach. Cook for a few minutes, until the spinach is cooked:

Finally, add the scallions. Add the gluten-free soy sauce and mix well. Pepper to taste. Serve as a side dish/vegetable accompaniment, or serve in a bowl to enjoy the dish on its own!